Skip to main content

The astonishing effects of the shutdown, in 8 charts

The longest shutdown, by the numbers.

It’s now Day 24 of the partial government shutdown, and it’s officially the longest one ever.

While President Donald Trump and Democrats continue to duke it out over the politics of a border wall, the impact of the stalemate has already become very, very real for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, many of whom missed their first paycheck on Friday.

The National Parks Service, the Transportation Security Administration, and the IRS are just a few of the government agencies that have been affected by the impasse, which is expected to cause serious economic fallout as well.

Here are eight charts that illustrate what exactly the costs of the shutdown are.

The current shutdown is only a partial one, as Congress has already funded 75 percent of the federal government until September. Right now, there are still seven outstanding spending bills that have yet to be passed, which affect nine federal departments including Agriculture, Transportation, and the Interior.

Because of the way funding is doled out across agencies, certain services are affected even though they may technically fall under departments that have already been covered. The FDA, for example, is under the Department of Health and Human Services, but receives funding from USDA as well, a gap in funds that’s led to a pause in some food safety operations.

Nine of 15 federal departments are impacted by the shutdown

Each federal agency has its own contingency plan in the case of a shutdown, meaning they are all affected in slightly different ways. Every agency determines which employees are “essential” and “nonessential” — “essential” employees must keep reporting to work even though they won’t receive immediate pay, while “nonessential” employees are furloughed and told to stay home until the shutdown ends.

These plans vary significantly by agency. In some departments like Homeland Security, an overwhelming majority of its employees are considered “essential,” while in agencies like the IRS, for example, a majority have been deemed “nonessential” and furloughed.

Furlough rates at different departments

Approximately 380,000 federal employees are currently furloughed and 420,000 are expected to work without pay, according to a fact sheet released by the Democratic staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

That’s more people than the total population of Washington, DC.

Many of the workers affected by the partial shutdown live in the DC area, but its effects will be felt well beyond the district: According to an analysis by the Washington Post, there are many other states with large numbers of workers in the Agriculture and Interior departments who are suffering as well.

The National Park Service is among the agencies hit by the partial shutdown, and all of its parks are affected to different degrees. Many have opted to remain open, though they’re doing so with limited staffing and access to facilities.

There are closure alerts for 388 of the 737 parks and historic sites, which means that some areas are closed or inaccessible to the public. On an average day, national parks are expected to collect $400,000 in fee revenue. Since the start of the shutdown, the National Park Conservation Association estimates that the Park Service has lost more than $6 million in fee revenue.

In DC, all Smithsonian museums and galleries are closed, along with the National Zoo. More than 20 days into the shutdown, they may have potentially lost almost 2 million visitors.

The Zoo’s live animal cams, including the beloved Panda Cam, are also deemed nonessential and will not stream video until the government reopens.

Aside from its effects on workers and local businesses, the shutdown will also reverberate across the US economy. According to S&P Global Ratings, the shutdown could shave approximately $1.2 billion off real GDP for each week that the government is partially closed.

By Friday, January 11, the shutdown has cost the US Economy $3.6 billion, and the costs will soon exceed the figure that Trump demanded to fund his proposed border wall.

More in Politics

The Logoff
Trump’s new travel ban, briefly explainedTrump’s new travel ban, briefly explained
The Logoff

Trump’s latest policy will impact millions of people around the world.

By Cameron Peters
Culture
Jeffrey Epstein’s friendship with Donald Trump, explainedJeffrey Epstein’s friendship with Donald Trump, explained
Culture

Was Jeffrey Epstein really Donald Trump’s “closest friend”?

By Aja Romano and Anna North
Politics
The real reasons Musk is feuding with TrumpThe real reasons Musk is feuding with Trump
Politics

DOGE disappointment? Policies that hurt Tesla? A pulled NASA nominee? How about all of the above?

By Andrew Prokop
Defense & Security
Why the Pentagon just can’t quit Elon MuskWhy the Pentagon just can’t quit Elon Musk
Defense & Security

How Musk’s SpaceX became too big to fail for US national security.

By Joshua Keating
Supreme Court
Why the Supreme Court just handed a big victory to gun manufacturersWhy the Supreme Court just handed a big victory to gun manufacturers
Supreme Court

Mexico’s attempt to cut off the flow of guns to drug cartels dies in the Supreme Court.

By Ian Millhiser
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court’s blessedly narrow decision about religion in the workplace, explainedThe Supreme Court’s blessedly narrow decision about religion in the workplace, explained
Supreme Court

Catholic Charities v. Wisconsin could have disrupted workplaces, but it’s probably too narrow to matter to many workers.

By Ian Millhiser